Plan to cut off the nine states

The weather is getting warmer and warmer, and rumors of war are growing day by day. The coalition forces of various states have recaptured Tongguan and defeated several unknown new and old advent armies. To the officers and soldiers, those people are all traitors.

There is also a "war" going on in the Siguo Valley.

The speed of weed growth is unexpected and silent. Before dark, they are still dozens of steps away from the house wall, like a group of docile lambs, and they dare not cross the border. But the next morning, when you open the door, you will be surprised to find that there are a few more green leaves at the door, corners, and even on the wall.

Even if a real monk lives here, he can't practice quietly. In the dead of night, the wildly growing grass and trees will make strange noises, and countless insects and frogs will hide in them. The chirping sound is close to the ears, but you can't find them when you look for them.

Xu Chu has "work" to do. Now carrying water and chopping wood are trivial matters. Stopping these weeds that are pressing step by step is the top priority.

The fragrance of grass and trees is no longer a refreshing smell, but the drumbeat of the battle. Scythes, hoes... all tools that can be used are used, earth covers, fire... no mercy is shown.

When Feng Ju Niang came again, she was really shocked and said to Chang Yanzhi who came out to greet her: "Young Master, you said you are in seclusion, but you don't need to be so 'secluded'. I almost thought I took the wrong road - no, there is no road at all, where is the road?"

Chang Yanzhi parted the grass and said tiredly: "I haven't cleaned up this side yet. There are too many grasses and too few people. Is Jizhou always like this? People say that the grass and trees in the south of the Yangtze River are lush, but it's not so bad."

"Jizhou? I have been rushing all the way here, and I haven't seen any wild grass growing so lushly anywhere. Do you think it will be a miracle?"

"What miracle?"

"Mr. Fan just passed away, Mr. Xu Just arrived... Wait for me to go back to the city to ask. If the Siguo Valley is like this every year, then we are not familiar with it. If it is only like this year, I am afraid we need a magician. "

Chang Yanzhi laughed, but he was unsure after laughing, "It must be a real magician, not a liar."

"Who can deceive me? Where is the young master?"

"Come with me."

After walking a short distance, Feng Ju Niang's eyes suddenly opened up. The houses in the valley finally appeared. They looked shorter than she remembered. A few to dozens of steps away from the wall, there was an uneven open space with traces of fire, turned up soil, and several shallow ditches.

"Has there been a battle here just now?" Feng Ju Niang asked in surprise.

"Almost, more tiring than fighting." Chang Yanzhi pointed to Xu Chu.

Xu Chu was drinking water and resting in a circle with the old servants and others, talking and laughing with each other, without any distinction between master and servant.

Feng Ju Niang asked the maid who had been following behind her to check her room. She walked up to Xu Chu, smiled at the others, and then said, "It's just right. It seems that this place is no longer habitable. Everyone, pack up and follow me later."

Everyone cheered. They were tired of this endless battle and felt that it was meaningless. Even if they succeeded in stopping the spread of weeds, this would still be a desolate valley.

Only Xu Chu shook his head and smiled, "Others can leave, but I won't."

In addition to Xu Chu, there were still fourteen people left in the valley. They really wanted to stay with their old master and would rather die than leave. Seeing Xu Chu shaking his head, they also shook their heads.

The maid hurried over from a distance, "Madam, our residence is fine, but it's a little damp. I'll open the doors and windows for ventilation."

"It's too hot at noon and we can't work. Young master, let everyone rest for a while." Feng Ju Niang said.

Xu Chu put down the hoe in his hand, "It's indeed time to rest. Wait until dusk, when it's a little cooler, and we'll make persistent efforts."

"Make persistent efforts." Everyone responded sparsely, with low morale.

"Sir, please go to my room and sit for a while. I need to clean up the room and have something to tell you."

Feng Ju Niang's room is the best one in the valley. Although it is not big, it is clean and tidy. Although it has not been lived in for a long time, it still retains a faint fragrance.

Xu Chu came in for the first time and praised: "I wonder how you cleaned it up."

"I have a maid, let her clean it up." Feng Ju Niang said, closing the door and leaving the window open, "Sir, please sit down."

Xu Chu sat on the chair and Feng Ju Niang sat on the edge of the bed, "Sir, you guessed it right."

"What did I guess?"

"Lou Ji, he did not escape back by himself, but was ordered by King Ning to come to offer advice to the eldest princess. King Ning has a military advisor..."

"Zhang Wenbi?"

"What kind of military advisor is he? He is just a scholar who can write. , it was Guo Shifeng, the Guo Shifeng who was very familiar with the young master. "

Xu Chu patted his forehead lightly, "I almost forgot about him. I sent him to Huaizhou at the beginning - so he chose King Ning himself."

"Whether it was a choice or forced, it was Guo Shifeng who gave King Ning the idea. King Ning released several members of the Lou family and asked them to come to Yecheng to seek peace and offer advice." Feng Ju Niang waited for a while, "Young master has guessed the details of the offer, right?"

"A little clue."

"Young master, speak first, I will be the judge." Feng Ju Niang likes this kind of game.

Xu Chu thought for a while, "Originally, there were only a few clues. Since Guo Shifeng is the military advisor, I can guess more carefully. King Ning surrendered to the court in Shitou City?"

"This matter has been rumored for a long time, and everyone knows it."

"In the name of escorting the queen mother?"

"King Ning took the queen mother away, there must be some use."

"Has the Ning army entered the city?"

"That's not true. The news that has come so far says that King Ning led his army and was stationed outside Stone City. He was given the title of a general. He refused to hand over the Queen Mother first, and the emperor did not allow him to enter the city. But the young master also knows that now the news It's not smooth, Jiangdong is far away, and Prince Ning may have entered the city. "

"Well...if he didn't enter the city at that time, he won't do it now. Prince Ning has few soldiers, and he still has a chance to gain a foothold by taking the lead. Once the city sees clearly what is true, it will be dangerous for him to enter the city."

"That means he didn't enter the city, but it has nothing to do with Lou Ji's plan, and he doesn't know about these things."

"King Ning wants to enter the city to kill the emperor and eliminate the Liang and Lan families in exchange for Yecheng's recognition of the title of King Ning."

Feng Juniang kept laughing, and then she stopped after a while and said, "I won't tell you what is right or wrong. I just want to ask the young master a few things."

"Excuse me."

"Prince Ning cannot enter the city, how can he kill the emperor?"

"King Guangling was killed, and the soldiers of Jiangdong encountered the death of the Emperor of All Things while they were being transferred. Therefore, among the states, the chaos in Jiangdong was probably second only to Qinzhou where there had been famine for many years. The seven tribes were still unable to gain a foothold in Jiangdong, and the emperor rushed to seek refuge. They can only defend a stone city. If there are rebels preparing to attack the city, the Liang and Lan families will have to ask King Ning to enter the city."

"Are Liang and Lan really that stupid?"

Xu Chu nodded. He understood the personalities of Taifu Liang and Lan Xun very well. The two families wanted to collude and compete for favor. They also relied on their noble status and easily believed in the flattery of others.

"The man who lives in Stone City is the emperor after all. Who dares to attack the city?"

"Qingjun, this is a ready excuse. The Liang and Lan families will be even more panicked."

"If Prince Ning kills the emperor, isn't he afraid that he will become the target of public criticism?"

"It depends on how he chooses. If he wants to be the leader of the rebel army, he should openly admit that he killed the emperor. Although he is the target of public criticism, he is also popular. If he wants to be the overlord of one party, he should put the crime of regicide on Liang and Lan."

"How do you think Prince Ning will choose?"

"Prince Ning wants to be the leader of the rebel army, and Guo Shifeng wants to be the overlord of the party. I can't guess who can persuade the two of them."

"Guo Shifeng will definitely not be able to compete with Prince Ning." Feng Juniang is more familiar with Ning Baoguan and does not believe that anyone can make him change his mind.

"Guo Shifeng won't fight. He will convince King Ning that temporary hegemony is a better idea."

"Maybe, I don't recognize this guy named Guo. What would he do if he were the young master?"

"Both options have advantages and disadvantages. If people are not in Jiangdong, empty words are useless."

"Just talk about it. No, no, what I want to know is not this, but how should Yecheng respond to King Ning's different choices?"

"If King Ning generously admits to killing the emperor, Yecheng must immediately declare revenge for the emperor, but there is no need to send troops. The Sheng family of Huaizhou and the Xi family of Jingzhou will rush into Jiangdong. Sowing discord is the only feasible way for Yecheng. If King Ning is persuaded by Guo Shifeng to put the blame on Liang Lan and be satisfied with temporary hegemony, the best strategy for Yecheng is to immediately send troops to share the land east of the Yangtze River with the Sheng and Xi families. The middle strategy is to join forces with King Ning and share the middle territory. The next best thing to do in Huaizhou is to sit back and watch. When King Ning becomes powerful, he will become a powerful enemy."

"Young Master really values ​​Prince Ning."

"Prince Ning only lacks a little luck. When the time comes, he will be able to achieve great success."

"Even if he does things like burning Wu Bing to death and taking away the Queen Mother?"

"Prince Ning is bloodthirsty, but I have to say that this has little to do with whether he can rule the roost and compete for the top spot."

"Young master, I have no regrets..." Feng Juniang did not continue.

"I regretted it before." Xu Chu smiled. One of the purposes of his "cultivation" was not to let regret affect his judgment. "Can you tell me whether what I said is right or wrong?"

"It's roughly the same. But the hero who sent people to Yecheng to seek peace and offer advice was not just King Ning. As far as I know, there are at least three groups of envoys from Jiangdong in the city. Coincidentally, the people they were looking for were the King of Jibei and the King of Xiangdong. and the princess."

"Guo Shifeng is still smarter than others." Xu Chu said with a smile. It must have been Guo Shifeng's idea to propose advice to Princess Huanyan.

"Although the princess didn't say anything, I can tell that she wants to take advantage of these three groups of people in Jiangdong at the same time. Once the emperor of Stone City dies, the prince of Jibei here will be the first to ascend the throne. There is something I don't understand. There was something before Rumor has it that King Xiangdong also wants to become emperor. Why didn’t the princess help her father, but instead helped a nephew? It turns out that the princess is the aunt of the prince of Jibei. I really didn’t expect it. "

Xu Chu smiled, "Because she is smart enough."

"Haha, if the princess hears this answer, she will definitely be happy."

"You came all the way from the city just for this?"

"Of course not, I'll take the young master into the city."

"First, I shouldn't have gone into the city, and second, I didn't want to go into the city."

"I said that I would protect the young master's safety, but in this broken valley, there is no safety at all. I have persuaded the little princess to change her mind. She wants the young master to enter the city. At least the first problem no longer exists. As for the young master not wanting to Entering the city - please think about the others, sir. If the assassin comes again, he may not be the only one to be killed. "

"Can you make Princess Fangde change her mind? This is not called a change of heart. She never thought of letting me enter the city." Xu Chu was really surprised by this.

Feng Juniang smiled and said: "Young Master has the skills of a young master, and I have my own methods. It is not easy to persuade the young princess. The lady He Rong who just married me can do me a favor."

Xu Chu was even more surprised, "You know so many people."

"Actually, I don't know this noble lady... How should I put it? It's rare that the sister-in-law and the aunt are not enemies. This helps me and the young master." Feng Ju Niang was very happy. There were also things that the young master didn't understand.